Ken Jennings Now 'Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time' But He Almost Said No To Being on Tournament
There are some people who just seem to know lots of random things. No matter the situation or the topic, they have some little tidbit of trivia to share, something that most people don’t know.
At some point in their lives — generally after repeatedly sharing some particularly obscure bits of knowledge — someone will suggest they be on a game show like “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” or “Jeopardy!”.
Ken Jennings was made for “Jeopardy!” and his own personal history shows it. His Facebook “About” page explains the journey he took before making it to the famous show.
“While at BYU, Ken captained the university’s academic competition team, which consistently finished in the top ten at national quiz bowl tournaments,” his bio reads.
“Since graduating, he has worked writing and editing questions for National Academic Quiz Tournaments, a company that organizes quiz competitions attended by hundreds of colleges and thousands of high schools nationwide.
“Ken also began to notice a parade of his friends and acquaintances from the world of quiz bowl appearing on game shows like Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, where many were able to pay off their student loans and buy flashy sports cars. With this in mind, Ken began to revive his childhood dream of appearing on Jeopardy!”
In 2004, Jennings discovered he’d been selected to participate in a show, so he spent the time until then studying every relevant topic he could.
“Much to his surprise, Ken’s Jeopardy! appearance extended beyond a single game in June: he took advantage of a recent rule change allowing Jeopardy! champs to appear on the show indefinitely, and spent the next six months hogging America’s TV screens. Before losing on the November 30 show because he didn’t know enough trivia about H&R Block, Ken won 74 games and $2.52 million, both American game show records.”
In short, Jennings ended with “over $2 million in winnings, 74 consecutive wins, and 75 consecutive boring anecdotes told to Alex Trebek,” placing him in a hall of fame.
It was precisely because of those stats that he was invited back to play again, pitting himself against two other record-setters: James Holzhauer, who holds the title for most money won during a single game, and Brad Rutter, who holds the title for most money won overall.
But when Jennings was invited to play on “Jeopardy! Greatest of All Time” (affectionately known as GOAT), he nearly declined. Why? He was concerned that age had taken its toll on him.
“I’m a little older,” the 45-year-old said, according to The Salt Lake Tribune. “I’m a little slower. I don’t remember names in that five seconds that [host Alex] Trebek’s glaring at you. It’s getting a little harder at my age.”
“I was just thinking, You’re going to tape it when? Around Christmas? So, what, I’ve got to spend the whole holidays worrying about ‘Jeopardy!’? You know what? I don’t want to.”
But in the end, it was the renowned game show and its host that convinced Jennings to commit once more to the game.
“Just the idea that you’ve got a chance to be associated with your favorite show one more time — kind of a capstone of Alex’s career — you don’t want to screw around with that.”
“I’ve been listening to him my whole life,” Jennings added. “Even now, just hearing that voice, it reminds me of being a kid, running home to watch ‘Jeopardy!’ when I was 10 years old.
“It reminds me of standing behind that podium and scrambling to come up with an answer. A lot of the cadence of my life is that voice. And just being associated with my favorite show and my favorite host in some small way has been the greatest honor in my life.”
And he’s probably glad he decided to compete after all — because he ended up winning the tournament.
“It has taken 15 years Ken Jennings to finally answer the question, ‘Is he as good as he appeared to be in his great run on ‘Jeopardy!’?'” Trebek said as he handed over the trophy, according to Fox News.
Jennings walked away with $1 million in prize money and the reassurance that he’s just as sharp in his “old age” as he was nearly two decades ago.
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